The Zeal Optics Transcend GPS Goggle enables skiers to monitor their speed and altitude, as well as the time and vertical speed, using the GPS Goggle. The various data are visible on a head-up display. The stats can be downloaded on your computer with a Google Map overlay to review performance. The rechangeable lithion-ion battery allows 7 hours run time. The goggle is PC and Mac compatible and includes European and American adapters and the software allows Imperial and metric units.The goggle itself is polarised and reduces 99% of the glare. The lens is in-molded and anti-fog treated. The frame... (read more)

Modern-day piracy in Somalia

The Gulf of Aden is currently one of the world's most dangerous shipping routes. Pirates originating from Somalia, or rather that part of the country called Puntland, launch frequent attacks on commercial vessels bound for the Suez Canal or the Indian Ocean. Pirates - the word sounds medieval, and their vessels sometimes also resemble classic pirate vessels, including skull-and-crossbones flag. However, don?t be misled; these modern-day pirates use state-of-the-art equipment. Not only do they boast an impressive array of armaments, they also use the latest versions of GNSS, GIS and telecommunication equipment. Vessels passing the Bab al Mandeb between the... (read more)

Is the moment coming when our GPS product survey will have to be renamed? Any new title should reflect the existence and use of GLONASS receivers, combined GLONASS/GPS receivers and Galileo receivers. But the results of this year’s product survey do not yet give reason for such a step. Healthy and stable competition has emerged over the years among manufacturers of receivers. Satellite signals coming to us from space, GPS next to GLONASS, and in the future Galileo, each have their own characteristics. These make the signals in part complementary to each other. From a technical point of view this... (read more)

OxTS is releasing a new dual antenna version of the Inertial+ navigation system at this year's Intergeo exhibition. The new Inertial+2 provides improved heading accuracy for better performances in airborne survey and mapping applications. Being compatible with most GPS receivers on the market, the Inertial+ is very easy to integrate in to a current GPS only solution. Adding the Inertial+ to a GPS receiver will not only provide reliable, continuous position data even during GPS signals blockage but also output measurements like roll, pitch and heading with high accuracy in real-time. Using two GPS receivers in the... (read more)

Citing the ever-increasing importance of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to the global economy and infrastructure, a group of US-based GPS advocates have announced the formation of the GPS Innovation Alliance, an organisation dedicated to furthering GPS innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. Members of the Alliance are drawn from a wide variety of fields and businesses reliant on GPS. These include manufacturing, aviation, agriculture, construction, transportation, first responders and surveying and mapping. Still others are organisations representing consumers who depend on GPS for boating and other outdoor activities, and in their automobiles, smartphones and tablets. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA, the... (read more)

In response to farmers growing demand for increased accuracy at a more affordable price, Hemisphere GPS (KS, USA) has developed another option to subscription networks and high-priced base systems. Using high-definition, single-frequency RTK, Outback BaseLineHD provides the same accuracy as dual-frequency RTK but at a fraction of the cost. Used in combination with Outback S2 and Outback eDrive, BaseLineHD provides one inch pass-to-pass accuracy in an affordable hands-free GPS steering system. Outback BaseLineHD includes an integrated base station and a single rover unit. Multiple vehicles can be equipped with additional rover units all operating from a single base system. In... (read more)

Blue Marble Geographics, USA, has presented during the 2011 Maine Municipal Technology Conference. Samuel Knight of Blue Marble presented a talk on High Accuracy GPS - Pitfalls of Post-Processing at the 3rd March conference held in Bangor, Maine. The conference was well-attended by municipality representatives from around the state and highlighted the dramatic technological changes currently underway while trying to predict the impact on government services. Knight, the director of Product Management for Blue Marble, focused on avoiding the variety of pit falls that a novice user can run into, which may significantly degrade of the quality of the GPS... (read more)

ESRI users will now be able to view their ArcGIS Desktop projects on the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 GPS receiver. With the Earthmate PN-40 Extension for ESRI software from DeLorme, mobile professionals can convert collected waypoints and tracks with associated comments for import into ArcGIS Desktop as shapefiles. Users can also transfer views of their projects for use in the field, display MrSID and GeoTIFF imagery files, and navigate rural terrain across DeLorme trail and road data. This latest DeLorme solution for mobile professionals includes DeLorme USA topographic map data and supports MrSID and GeoTIFF aerial imagery files for... (read more)

Hemisphere GPS

From entrepreneurs to incorporation to becoming publicly traded and now ISO certified, Hemisphere GPS has evolved into a major player in the design and manufacture of precision GPS products. With corporate headquarters in Calgary, Canada, this relatively young company also has product development, sales and marketing facilities in Arizona, Kansas, Texas, and Australia. The company was born in 1990, when Canadian Systems Inc co-founders joined together to pursue their dream of manufacturing precision GPS instruments. Shortly afterwards the organisation changed its name to Communications System International Inc (CSI) and released its first product the MBX-1TM, a Differential GPS Circuit Board.... (read more)